Rochester is unable to beat the Outlaws for a third time this season.
DENVER, CO. — The Rochester Rattlers were eliminated from the Major League Lacrosse playoffs, 15-8, Saturday afternoon by the defending champion Denver Outlasw at Peter Barton Stadium. The Outlaws were the No. 1 seed (9-5) while the Rattlers (8-6) were the No. 4 seed, though Rochester won both games from Denver during the regular season.
This year’s title game will be a rematch of last season following No. 2 Ohio Machine’s 18-13 victory over No. 3 Florida Launch Saturday night in Columbus. The Launch were making their first-ever playoff appearance.
The championship game will be played Aug. 19 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX. It will mark the first-ever MLL Championship Game in the state of Texas.
The Rattlers trailed 3-2 after the first quarter. Rochester scored in the first minute of the second quarter to tie the game.
However, the Outlaws tallied twice in the final minute of the half to take a 6-3 lead into the intermission. A storm in the area then delayed the game for slightly over an hour.
The teams traded goals in the third quarter before the Outlaws broke the game open in the fourth with 8 consecutive goals.
Denver’s defense also was able to keep Rochester off of the scoreboard for a majority of the third quarter into the fourth quarter. Both Jordan MacIntosh and Mike Lazore netted 2-point goals towards the end of the game.
Ty Thompson paced Rochester with three goals in the game. Drew Simoneau won 18-of-25 faceoffs and picked up 7 ground balls.
Goalie John Galloway made 11 saves on 26 SOG.
Rochester’s leading scorer, Jordan Wolf, was held scoreless as he took just 2 shots on goal. This was Wolf’s second game back after sustaining a rib injury against Boston several weeks ago. He missed 2 games but returned last week in the regular season finale, despite not being 100 percent, and scored the game-winner to beat Ohio, 14-13, to secure the playoff berth.
With the season now over, the next question is will the Rattlers return for the 2018 season? Rumor has it the team, which is operated by the league, will relocate to Dallas for next season. The Star is a 12,000 seat, indoor stadium where the Dallas Cowboys practice.
Only time will tell.